Spiced Holiday Baking: A Nutmeg and Cinnamon Cake for Cold Evenings

There is a particular kind of baking that belongs to cold evenings: the kind where the oven warms the kitchen, the windows fog up, and the whole house smells of cinnamon and nutmeg before the cake is even out of the pan. This recipe is that cake. It is a simple, one-bowl spice cake, tender from oil and buttermilk, scented with freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little ginger. It needs no frosting, though a dusting of powdered sugar or a spoonful of whipped cream does not hurt.

The key to the flavor is fresh spices. If you have whole nutmeg, grate it directly into the batter. If you have whole cinnamon sticks, grind them, or use a good ground cinnamon. The cake is forgiving, but it rewards good ingredients. It also improves on the second day, when the spices have had time to settle and the crumb has grown even more tender.

Ingredients

For the cake: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground clove, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup neutral oil, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. For the optional glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or an 8-inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove. Add both sugars and whisk to combine, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla, and whisk until the batter is smooth. It will be fairly thin, which is what you want.

Baking and Serving

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Start checking at 35 minutes; ovens vary, and you do not want to overbake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with enough milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Drizzle it over the cooled cake and let it set for a few minutes before slicing. The cake keeps well, covered, at room temperature for three days, and it freezes beautifully for up to two months. Serve it with coffee, tea, or a glass of cold milk, and let the warm spices do the rest. If you want to vary it, swap the buttermilk for whole milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice, or add a handful of chopped walnuts or raisins to the batter before baking.